Yesterday was one of those days which makes you really appreciate your surroundings. We strolled over the beach nearest us, then we hiked around the coast to the next couple of beaches passing through cliffs and meadows and winding steep paths to another ocean view.
There were high surf warnings and only the craziest and strongest board owners were out giving it a go. Waves that are normally a healthy, rolling 7 feet were towering at 17 feet. We watched a roughly 25-foot log tossed like a tooth pick and thrown to the beach. At high tide there wasn’t even a narrow swath of dry land to stand on along the sand. Beautiful.
Later that same day, we drove over to where the only Northern California monster-wave surf competition happens. (Actually, it happens a mile and a half off shore.) We watched the sun set over some of the biggest surf I’ve seen, and then ended the evening with what else? Seafood.
Out of all the photos I took in the day, this one really made me smile.
We were standing along an outlook on the seawall at Rockaway Beach, and M. kept jumping back when the waves roared over the wall. We actually watched a young and an old guy taking turns taking pictures as they sat on the rocks just next to the platform. Sadly, when it was the old guy’s turn, a monster swept him off the rocks and splayed onto to the asphalt behind him. He was alright, but fucking yeah those were mighty waves.
Naturally, I asked M. to oblige me and get hit.
I was close enough to get wet, too, while four guys from a safe distance laughed out loud at us. As I wiped the salt water from my precious camera and looked at the shot, I exclaimed to them that it was totally worth it. You dig, art doesn’t just happen, you gotta try sometimes.
For the less dramatic and less forced, there are tons of photos here: http://dee-rob.com/zenphoto/Pacifica%20and%20big%20waves%2C%20November%202009/ and here: http://dee-rob.com/zenphoto/Sunset%20at%20Mavericks%2C%20November%207%2C%202009/.
Pretty day.
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